It was the peak season alright for Holy Week in Batanes and our trip almost  didn’t push through but thank God (and Seair) for helping us secure our flights. Albeit shortened, we made do with our time, maximizing moments to take photos and enjoy the scenery. I’ve written about Batanes so many times already in this blog so I’ll just share some memorable takes during our recent Backpack Photography 3-Island Photo Tour. These ones from the small but charming Sabtang Island.

Day one finds us scampering to Sabtang Island once we set foot in Batanes. From our ever reliable lodging and friends at DDD Habitat Batanes, we were whisked away to Ivana Port where our boat was already waiting. The 45-plus so minutes ride was smooth. Our boatman is already so used to these waters he can navigate over them using his feet.

Savidug Village was our first stop and familiar faces pops up the corner. Like this old lady Aling Lucy who was found her way to our photos before inside her house, still smiling after all this time.

The white-washed and petite St Dominic Church stood out of the green and blue sunny backdrop that it looked bigger than it actually is. But more attention to the stone house beside it as participants took some posterity shots there. The stone house villages in Batanes were nominated before for UNESCO but unfortunately the village won’t make the list because the new houses and structures no longer follow the traditional methods stone houses were built. Even the restoration was inappropriate. Sad but it’s still a charming and quiet seaside village.

Probably one of my favourite spot in Sabtang is the Tiñan Hills Viewpoint in Chamantad, it never fails to take me or our guests drool in amazement. The peak height of the sun was not enough to stop us from venturing over the hills and enjoy the view.

The cove-sheltered town of Chavayan is usually our rest stop. This picturesque village is also home to the oldest man residing in Sabtang, Mr Marcello Hostallero. Born July 16, 1907, he doesn’t look any close to the age of 105. He is still alert, keen on his senses and sharp on his craftwork. The secret to his longevity? Eating healthy, good exercise and good sex! Marcelo has 15 children, got married at the age of 21 with his wife at the age of 14.

Another secret to his long life are these special Tubho leaves the residents drink as part of their daily diet. They make coffee out of these leaves which they harvest in far-flung mountainous area of the island. It may be the nutrients in these leaves or the combination of the long walk to procure them that has contributed to their long life-span. Ate Fely, his daughter, at her age is strong still despite being a grandmother already.

Our lunch stop is at the beautiful beach of Nakanmuan with its distinct arc. It was a struggle to head out to shoot already as our lunch of crabs, lobster and unforgettable Luñes adobo was worth taking time to savour. But as soon as we were satiated, it was time to fill our senses on this one of a kind spot in Sabtang.

We originally planned to stay overnight here but with our trip cut short of 2 days, we only had to spend a day here. Oh yeah, also noticed this new option of travel in Sabtang Island if one is exploring on your own or a couple, this powerful tricycles with roofs made of cogon are now available for hire. Sabtang is such a charming little island like these kids.

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Join us in our next 3-Island Hop Backpack Photography Batanes this August. Check the details at www.backpackphotography.net

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The view of the Pacific Ocean, the deep jagged cliffs from the island where I’m standing and Dinem Island, cutting through the ocean like a knife’s edge was stupendous. Here at the farthest inhabitable, northern island of Itbayat, I’m just lost for words on how I can describe the beauty I’m seeing from Torongan Hills. If I had my way, I can spend an idle afternoon here just looking at the sea and passing clouds. It was one of those moments that I’m so proud of the Philippines for having places like this.

We took a dump truck to take us to the jump-off point to Torongan Cave which is about an hour away. There was a 1.5 km hike towards the cave entrance.  The hike itself was pretty scenic amongst surreal growth of trees and vegetation parallel to a stream. It wasn’t also that difficult along gradual slopes and careful descent on rock boulders. In about an hour, we reached the huge cave entrance. It looks spectacular with dramatic stalactites adorning the mouth of the cave.

We carefully made our way down the ground of the huge cavern and felt the cold draft of air coming from the other side. There were walls of stones there which our guide said were already there when they found them. Probably signs of ancient dwellings believed to be from Austronesians who migrated here about 4000 years ago coming from Taiwan. We reached a high mound inside the cave where we could view a large opening with the view of the sea. It feels like we were inside a whale’s belly looking out from its mouth.

From the cave mouth we had a very short climb to reach the hills on top of the cave and the scene seemed to have been transformed into an epic backdrop of a fantasy movie up rugged mountains where dragons fly and Vikings clash swords. It was amazing up there.

Burial sites from the ancient settlements can also be found here. There were about 7 burial mounds there shaped like a boat pointing to the sea. Some are already hard to distinguish from the regular rocks and the remains were no longer found there. The seafaring Austronesians believed that these boat-shaped graves would lead their departed spirits to the other life safely.

It was already late in the afternoon when we started our way back. Most of us can’t help but look back at the scene that has captured our senses. We could see the hills and the cave mouth from afar. We marched on the dying light, yes that rough boat ride coming here was now a side memory. Seeing this place was worth the daunting sea journey.

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Join us on our next 3-Island Hop Backpack Photography Photo Tour in Batanes this August. Check out www.backpackphotography.net

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We marvelled at the stars, shining plentifully at the sky. Something we don’t see in an urban night. We played around with the star-gazer on our phones figuring out the constellations, the position of the stars in the wee hours of the morning while waiting for our dump truck service to arrive. Despite the gizmos in our hands, there was no electricity in Itbayat at 4am as it runs from noon to 12 midnight only. We were headed to one of the mountains in the island, Mt Karoboboan. Usual program from tourism here is they take people to the peak at sunset. But since we didn’t have time the day before, we decided to go on a sunrise.

Mt Karoboboan stands only at 500 277meters above sea level. A dump truck would be able to take us to the peak. The ride took us less than an hour, enough to catch the sunrise at the summit. There was a fenced area that looked like a nice garden with a platform made of wood as a lookout point. There’s also a nice hut where people can have a picnic. It was really charming.

It was one of those places where the view looks really amazing but capturing it was another thing. We challenged our participants to look for a good foreground to lead the eyes to the scenic sunrise. We also had a breakfast with neatly packed meals wrapped in tipoho leaves. Inside was a hefty serving of rice with pork, fish and with egg. We happily ate at the hut with the cold wind and calming surroundings at the peak of Mt Karoboboan.

We got back at Cano’s Lodge and got ready to make our way to Chinapoliran Port for our boat back to Batan Island. Since there was still time, we made a side-trip to Paganaman Port. A favourite spot of mine as we could see the fishermen here lift their boats on and off the steep platform of the port. There were also fishermen just hanging by the cliffs waiting for their prey to take a bite at their line.

The ride back to Batan Island was a lot smoother than our first ride. We got a lot of floor space to lie around and sleep. It was also much faster that we arrived just ahead of time in the afternoon. Again, even after being in Itabayat several times already, I felt that there are still more that I haven’t seen. Like the islands seen north of the islands. Another excuse to go back again.

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No doubt the most visited island in Batanes is Batan Island, the landing point for any plane coming in this northernmost region in the country. The provincial capital, Basco is also located in the island making it as a starting point for exploration. I have written extensively about the places in Batan Island already so I won’t be repeating much aside from some updates and new site takes from our recent Backpack Photography 3-Island Hop in Batanes. But don’t get me wrong, even if I’ve been here several times already, the views still never fails to amaze me.

Day 1, arriving from our Island Hop in Sabtang Island, we went to one of my favorite spots in Batan Island, the Rolling Hills of Vayang. I’m always amused with the look as first timers are captivated by the scenery. The scene is so vast I think no picture can really justify the immensity one feels being there on the spot.

Day 3, arriving from our exciting overnight Island hop in Itbayat Island, we now visit the western portion of Batan Island for the sunset. But before that we passed by Basco Church, newly painted and restored to its former glory. It’s the first time I’ve seen Sto Domingo de Basco Church free from scaffolds in and out the church. When the church was damaged back in 2002 from an earthquake, it has been in constant restoration. Finally after 10 years, the scaffolding was removed last March 2012 and it looks brand new but still retaining the old qualities of its original limestone church. The church is also now elevated into a Cathedral status.

West of Batan Island is the often overlooked site of Chadpidan. This large boulder beach mirrors the image of its more popular eastern counterpart, the Valugan Boulder Beach. It has the same qualities except for different views. The southern rock formations in the horizon at Chadpidan reminds me of Lakay-lakay in Claveria.

Morning of day 4 finds us driving before the sun came up in Diura Fishing village as the start of our Batan Island tour. While the onset of rain made itself felt with a light drizzle, we pushed through with the sunrise shoot hoping to get some dramatic moody shots of the weather in turmoil. Breakfast was always a delight at the overlooking dining area at Monica’s Cottage there.

The nearby Mahatao Lighthouse was literally a stop to just chill, lie back on the grass and enjoy the view. There’s nothing more relaxing with cool fresh wind blowing up high on a hill overlooking Diura Fishing village below.

There’s the usual stops like the playful slopes of Marlboro Hills, the windswept and iconic hill of Alapad in Imnajbu and then marveling at the crashing waves and steep cliffs at Chanarian Viewdeck. It was a full day but we left time for our participants to have some free time to shop and explore on their own.

Our Batanes 3-Island Hop closed that evening with an awesome dinner prepared by the staff at DDD Habitat. It was a night of sharing our favorite images during the trip and recollecting some unforgettable moments and sights that would be clearly be engraved in our memory.

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There are a couple of Photography Talks treats for you this month of March. For our Singaporean friends, Backpack Photography will introduce the wonderful world of Batanes and talk about how it would be an ideal location for Travel Photography. Starting the end of March, Sony Singapore will have a series of Sony Digital Workshops geared to improving ones photography and to kick of the opening weekend of March 30-31, 2013 myself and co-facilitator for Backpack Photography Oggie Ramos of Lagalog.com will have a couple of sessions on “Batanes: A Session about Travel Photography“.

For details of the event see below:

Sony Singapore will be offering great deals during the event, like 15% off for all Alpha A-Mount lenses and accessories. First 100 registrants will also get a limited edition shirt.

Any Camera Brand users are welcome to join!

For complete details and  other event workshops check out the Sony SG Digital Workshops site here.

Much earlier and closer to home is Eagle Creek’s Travel Preppers series. On March 21, 2013, is the last in the series of talks where I will be discussing concepts on Travel Photography, particularly packing and preparing for photography expeditions and maximizing the cameras you use (whether you’re using a mobile phone, point and shoot, DSLR, mirrorless cameras, it doesn’t matter) to take home great and memorable travel photos from a trip. This session is free so if  you are in the area, do drop by. Please see details below

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It’s time to share what I love about Palawan and El Nido is definitely one of the reasons why it’s one of my top favorite in the country. To kickstart 2014, Backpack Photography will hold an El Nido Photo Tour, to make it more interesting, we’re coinciding the photo tour in time for the Ati-atihan festival, but this time on a little known town of Barotuan. It’s an added photo opportunity to participants who would not only enjoy the sights but the culture as well. Read on for the details.

For more details and registration please visit Backpack Photography.

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It’s that time of the year again as we share our love for Batanes! Announcing our Batanes Travel Photography this May 22-25,  2015. 

Experience Batanes in a new light. Be there when the landscapes unravel at sunrise. Marvel at the changing nuances of light at sundown. Venture to the wilder coasts of Sabtang Island. Be captivated by Batanes the Backpack Photography way.

Read more for the inclusions:

• Roundtrip Airfare (Guaranteed Capacity)
• 4D/3N Accommodations (triple/quad- sharing options)
• Boat and inland tour transport
• Full board meals
• Registration fees
• Tour guide
• Travel insurance
• Certificates

For more details head on to Backpack Photography page.

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